Fifty Seventh: Part 1
by Sampug394
Summary: On the 57th year of Panem's Hunger Games, the reaping brings together two tributes from two industrial districts, and an unlikely alliance forms between the teens, bringing them closer together than either imagined after promising to help each other stay alive in the games. But with death inevitable in the arena, only time remains until a tragic undoing will befall them both...
1. Chapter 1

**Dear reader:**

**Thank you for taking the time to venture upon Part 1 of this twisted tale, and I hope you enjoy many, many months of work! This story is a personal fan interpretation of a year of Panem's Hunger Games that, after thorough research, has not been mentioned in any part of the Trilogy of books. As such, there are creative liberties taken, and I beg you to bear with me on some aspects of the story that may not perfectly reflect the universe, and in some occasions, pull from both the books and the movie in a unique blend. (I try my hardest as a loyal fan, you know!) I am not the amazing Suzanne Collins, I do not know every in and out of the universe, and I do not own at least 90% of the story's universe. Two of the main characters are based, names included, off of a completely different fandom and literary/television universe, and if you recognize/visualize them in the story, you are blessed with sharing a love of two of my favorite things ever! (Since it is only two people and no mention of another universe, this doesn't really qualify as a crossover.)**

**This story series, while humorous in certain parts, is not for the faint of heart. You should understand that death is a major aspect of the Hunger Games, and is often described with plenty of detail. Read at your own comfort, and, if you can, enjoy!**

**~Sampug394**

* * *

The first day by train passed in a head-spinning blur.

Hundreds of miles away and still moving, home was a distant memory as the sleek, polished machine coasted effortlessly down the track, across towering viaducts, through forest and plain, and underneath mountains on its high speed journey. A boy, seventeen, had a free ticket to ride, sampling food and drink he never knew to exist, and views of far lands he had only seen glimpses of on television.

The experience was bittersweet though. He was, after all, a tribute being delivered to the Capitol's custody.

After being introduced to a variety of unfamiliar people, among them his mentor and district representative, the young blonde was quickly exposed to the excessive nature of the Capitol through every part of the train, inside and out. The simplest of things, whether sitting upon the dining table or a part of the interior decor, were crafted of the finest materials known to Panem, most of which he had never before seen or even heard of. Because of this, it didn't take long to wonder why none of the wealth so glaringly present, ever made it back to his home of District 8.

* * *

The sun was setting as the train burst out of a tunnel onto a soaring bridge, spanning the canyon in front of a gigantic dam with water endlessly spilling over it from the reservoir behind. Just beyond, was the skyline of the Capitol itself.

A swooping curve led into a tunnel, and a few moments later of watching the rock walls just outside the window, his eyes suddenly took in bright lights, and hundreds of people - Strange looking people, screaming and shouting at the train as it glided to a halt in the station. The blonde girl, also from 8, timidly peeked out of the window, trying like him to figure out if the massive commotion was hysteria, or a warm welcome.

Being ushered out and led along the platform amongst the crowd, he decided it was both.

* * *

Oh, the joyful process of being beautified.

Years of grime that the washtub at home couldn't dispose of, were erased in an a few hours worth of intensive care in the remake center. Hair was cut, plucked and groomed, and numerous other details were worked on by an assortment of stylists that looked, in his eyes, absolutely ridiculous. His skin tingled by the time the process was over, and he lay on a table alone, wondering if there was anything else on him that needed work somehow.

He dared not to voice his curiosity though, knowing that the stylists could literally find a million ways to alter him further.

* * *

Some time later, flamboyantly costumed in strange, colorful outfits, and walking amongst a cluster of people towards an awaiting chariot, both blondes got their first glimpses of who they were up against. Delivered to the center of Panem just like them, the other twenty three tributes were a mix that ran across a major spectrum of race, origin and size. A small sample of the rest of the nation's outlying lands, picked at random for the games.

It didn't take much scrutinizing to tell the formidable from the weak, but something the boy learned from watching previous games, was never to underestimate other tributes. Many times, a seemingly harmless little person would transform into a vicious, clever killer once they got into the arena. Being from District 8 though, and facing tributes trained to kill from their youth, he already knew the odds weren't really in his favor at all. He already knew, and had been told that his imminent death was to be readily expected, but that didn't bother him at the time.

In a cloud of confusion, the chariot began to move forward, in line with the eleven others. Advice was shouted to them, but was drowned out amongst the hoof-beats and the steadily rising roar of excitement only seconds away outside.

Gripping the chariot, he watched as the roof and walls disappeared, replaced by a colorful, massive crowd of people making more noise than he could believe, lining the grand stands along the avenue as the teams of horses and people were brought forward through the public for the first time.

A few needlessly long minutes later, the twelve chariots began to halt in front of the enormous mansion that belonged to President Snow himself, and tributes began to quietly eye each other again.

But, neither the booming voice of the president high above welcoming the tributes to the Capitol, nor the garish costumes he and his fellow tribute wore on the chariot into the parade, stuck out in the blonde's mind amongst the overwhelming setting. Even the thought of imminent death in the 57th Annual Hunger Games, and facing the fearsome career tributes from 1 and 2, weren't plaguing his thoughts at the moment.

.

Rather, it was the girl on the chariot, of District 3.

.

She wasn't supposed to be in the Capitol. She shouldn't have even been reaped, but there she stood, facing a grim future only one week away. One week, and then the world would forever lose her beautiful innocence.

With only a few glances, he found himself mesmerized by her, even with her fanciful costume. Everything about her appearance seemed out of place from where she came from, and he began to fear that a lovely individual like her was destined to be slain and thrown to waste.

A sad prospect, but not the first time it happened in the history of the games.

The chariots and horses lurched forward, teams separated, and he lost sight of the tribute only moments afterward as he and the blonde girl were escorted into the elevator of the training center.

* * *

Following the parade, the tributes were subject to yet another whirlwind as they were whisked to a lavish dinner, meeting and greeting more unfamiliar people as they dined on a needlessly extravagant variety of unfamiliar food. Both blondes feasted on the rich delicacies until it wasn't possible to stretch a formerly starving stomach any further.

Upon leaving though, the mood instantly changed as they were thrust into their apartment, and then their own rooms.

After sampling more of the Capitol's finest, they were left alone to digest their fate, seven days away.


	2. Chapter 2

Odd stared, stomach aching, at his bedroom after walking inside. One single room was almost as large as his family's entire apartment.

He cautiously walked towards the bathroom, but then turned, and stepped up beside the bed.

Running his fingers along the top, he frowned. The comforter was made of some sort of fur he didn't recognize. Certainly nothing the factories at home ever worked with. His eyes rose, peering out of the window at countless lights and grand buildings soaring with height and finesse amongst the dark of night... Something the dark, dirty, industrial factories and chimneys at home could never quite match.

The Capitol, a beautiful, shining city wreathed in the former Rocky Mountains, was a completely different world from District 8. A place he probably would never see again, being a victim of circumstance, and the uncontested male tribute at the reaping.

At seventeen, the oldest child of his family, he felt it was his duty to serve them and District 8, but knew that his strong back and positive demeanor would be forever missed. Especially to his four sisters, who all fondly looked up to their lone older brother.

A hard sigh escaped his throat. As soon as he had found his room on the train to the Capitol, and watched District 8 disappear behind, he broke down and wept, spiraling in helpless misery.

Something he rarely ever did, and never let anybody see.

He jumped when the door nearby opened, and one of the mysteriously silent servants appeared by his side with a dish, and a cup of hot chocolate. He lifted both from her hands, and with a respectful nod, the servant turned, and disappeared.

He stared down at the brown swirl inside the mug, and then drank a small gulp.

Tears then graced his eyes.

Not from the temperature, not from the rich taste, but from the memories that surfaced because of it.

During winters back at home, he would stockpile as many packets of hot chocolate mix as he could without being noticed, and every weekend on the cold snowy nights, his mother, father and sisters would gather in a circle, and enjoy a pot of it together. It was a way to make the hardships of the industrial life in District 8 a little bit brighter.

His lips trembled momentarily, and he set the mug and dish aside on the nightstand next to the bed. His hands covered his eyes, and the night drifted by in silent misery.

So many things were about to be lost forever...


	3. Chapter 3

Morning.

* * *

After crawling out of bed, and staring at the sunlight streaming in through the window, Aelita tiptoed into the bathroom, and looked up at herself in the mirror.

The girl staring back was a product of the Capitol's stylists, magically changing her from a tired, broken teenage girl into a majestic young woman.

Orphaned years before, and left to her own devices in District 3, she wound up as a dedicated, tireless electrical technician, no longer in the lap of luxury, and no longer in the limelight - Until she was picked in the reaping.

Too many people in the crowd clamored to take her place, trying to send anybody to the Games but the beautiful Miss Schaeffer, but she kept walking. Up to the stage, and eventually, onto the train.

After all, there wasn't anyone left in her life to say goodbye to, even though her entire district watched her disappear into oblivion in a tearful mess.

She climbed up and sat on the sink's counter top, and ran her hand up into her hair, letting it flow between her fingers. Of a light red color, it shined happily as it fell, free of imperfection and softer to the touch than she thought possible.

She reached down, touched the left side of the faucet, and a stream of water flowed out, greeting her fingers, and then her eyes. After a pause, it shut back off, and she slipped off the counter after another glance at the girl in the mirror, staring back with a soft, glowing complexion.

_Sentenced to gladiatorial death... Almost better than wasting my life away alone._

A knock on the door, and she peeked around the wall.

"Yes?"

"Breakfast is in ten minutes."

The gruff female voice of her mentor greeted her ears again, and she took in a deep breath.

"I'll be there."


	4. Chapter 4

Caesar's grin settled into an inquisitive look.

"As head gamemaker... What do you think about the group of tributes we have this year?"

The man seated next to him, sharply dressed and sporting a goatee and jet black hair with lime green accents, touched his finger to his chin as he eyed Caesar's sparkling suit.

"I'm not quite sure what to make of it... Almost seems to be the same sort as last year's group. Careers, the usual mishmash of strong and weak... A few from the outlying districts look promising though."

"...Indeed. The one that caught my eye, I think, was the young lady from District 3."

"Yes. Her, and the boy from 3."

"Their costumes were quite impressive."

"Definitely an influence from their home district."

.

Caesar then leaned back in his chair.

"How about that young lad from 8... Leaving behind four sisters."

A momentary cloud of whispers arose among the audience, and the gamemaker's mouth moved slightly.

"The girl from 3 looked like she was leaving behind her entire district."

"Indeed... I don't think I've ever seen so many people try to take a tribute's place like what happened with her."

"Must be popular."

"She is a lovely young woman..." Caesar remarked. "Stands out from the crowd quite well."

"We'll have to see how much her appearance helps her in the games..."


	5. Chapter 5

Odd walked down the hallway towards the training center, followed by his entourage, and the blonde girl also from 8 by his side. Sporting an athletic outfit, and a much better attitude from an emotional breakdown the night before, he was ready to face the first day of training - The first day out of seven.

Their mentor, a shorter, stocky, tan skinned man with elaborate dark purple tattoos covering most of his arms, stepped in front and opened the door into the training room hallway.

"Try and absorb as much as you can. The more you know how to do, the longer you'll survive."

He paused, glanced inside, and then looked at the blonde teens.

"Based on your home life, you two need to practice with weapons as much as possible... Odd, you dyed clothing back home, so work on camouflage as well. Sandra, you work on trap setting and fashioning anything with a sharp tip."

Both of them nodded, and were then ushered inside.

* * *

The two blondes walked up, but as they got closer, they were eyed and scrutinized by the rest of the tributes, all of which were standing in a group gathered around a young black woman.

Two more pairs walked up, and she cleared her throat.

"In a few days, twenty three of you will be dead."

Several people traded glances, both fearful and sinister.

"...But one of you will be alive. Who that is, depends on your determination to survive, but also on your survival skills."

She eyed all of the tributes in a sweeping glance, and continued.

"While you all may want to grab a knife or sword right away, keep in mind the danger of ignoring yourself. Another tribute may not kill you, but things like dehydration and infection certainly will. Don't avoid trying something new just because you've never done it before... It just might save your life in the arena."

* * *

After several initial exercises, all twenty four tributes were released to train on their own, dispersing and headed towards the various elements of the center.

Odd's heart skipped a beat when he spotted the girl from District 3 again in the distance, and he suddenly diverted away and found his way into a line next to the one she stood in. Trying to keep a low profile, he silently watched her, hoping she would notice him.

A moment later, he was shoved forward in line, and spun around, only to be facing a brunette girl with her arms crossed, clearly unimpressed with him.

A small tag with 'District 2' was pinned to her outfit.

He backed up and turned around, but froze when she moved her head right next to his.

"Slow and easily distracted... You already look like an easy kill."

His nervousness quickly transformed into subtle anger.

"Judgmental... Arrogant too." He whispered back, just before stepping up onto the platform for hand-to-hand combat.

Moving up in front of the man standing ready, and now with a temper brewing, Odd suddenly remembered he used to spar with his dad for self defense in their urban environment. After a few slow practice moves to warm up, he quickly rediscovered his rhythm, and kicked into gear.

The assistant found he was being effectively challenged by the young blonde boy, and the practice quickly stepped up into a full blown fight, with punches, jabs, and blocks being thrown and put up at increasingly fast speeds.

Both the gamemakers up on the balcony nearby, and other tributes began to stop and watch as officials and a few peacekeepers cautiously approached the ensuing brawl.

Not quite intending to start training off in a fight, Odd found the assistant to be a worthy opponent, and both of them cautiously jockeyed to gain an upper hand over each other.

In a sudden move, Odd clutched the arm of the man as he threw a punch, twisted and ducked down, and swung him completely over his backside, slamming him into the floor on the opposite side.

A referee whistle pierced the air, and he backed away, exhaling, and then taking a quick glance at the people staring at him with various looks.

.

Which turned out to be _everybody._

He noticed Aelita watching him carefully, and a smile graced his face, causing her to squint at him as he casually stepped off the platform, and walked over to another station.

Several people, particularly career tributes, exchanged glances and words, and Aelita stepped out of the line for sword fighting, going instead towards the fire starting station, but plucking a steel hatchet off a stand on the way.

_Two can play at this game._

She stepped up to the empty little plot of grass, and then looked at the lady who eyed the hatchet in her hand.

"Do you have a battery and some wire?"

She blinked, but then nodded, and dug around in a box, procuring both, and giving them to her.

"I don't think you're going to find these very easily out in the arena, but here you go."

Aelita smiled, and then knelt down onto the grass, setting the hatchet and battery down, and quickly fashioning two short lengths of wire. Wrapping them around the terminals, she then touched the wires to the steel blade of the hatchet, and waited patiently.

After a minute or so, the steel blade became very hot, and the rubber grip began to smolder from the short circuit the powerful battery was creating.

She quickly pulled the wires away, picked it up, and watched with a smile as a small wisp of smoke drifted from it, admiring her handiwork before standing up and walking away. The woman at the station, perplexed, watched as tributes stood clear as Aelita went past, alarmed to see the small axe in her hand was leaving behind a trail of smoke.

She found her way to the target range for knives, and stood in position, staring at one of the target dummies that sat in the distance.

Taking one step back, she loftily twirled the hatchet around in her hand a few times, and then with a grunt, flung it forward at high velocity.

.

Hardly a second later, the hatchet's superheated blade lodged into the dummy's chest with enough force to knock the stand completely over, and a small sizzle was heard as the material inside was cauterized by the hot metal.

A grin spread across her face, and she dusted her hands off for a moment before walking away.

Enjoying the same looks of fear and hatred that Odd received minutes earlier, her eyes then fell upon the blonde in the distance, who was watching her with a content look.

They both then traded a momentary, identical thought, directed at the other.

_Showoff._


	6. Chapter 6

A few hours later, the twenty four tributes were busy, and the training session was in full swing. Odd was practicing with swords, and Aelita was getting a feel for setting rudimentary snares.

She watched him carefully in the distance, trying to figure out why he kept an eye on her so much, when he should be working with the girl from his district. As far as she could tell, he seemed to be sizing her up, trying to figure out what it would take to kill her. But on the same token, while others stared and smirked, he simply smiled when he noticed she was looking.

She finished setting up one of the traps, tested it, and then grew bored, disassembling it hastily when she saw Odd was putting his sword aside and leaving the station.

She sucked in a quick breath and briskly walked over towards him, slowing to a halt as he turned, and watched her.

"Hello."

"Yeah, Hi..."

She opened her mouth, but found herself with no words, only to close it again.

A brief staring contest started, and ended in seconds, and Odd tilted his head.

.

She looked around him, and then huffed.

"I... Was actually going to this station right here."

"Oh really."

"Yes, _really_." She spoke, brushing past him, and stepping up onto another platform, and trying as quickly as possible to busy herself with... _Edible plants_.

She shivered, a flustered blush on her cheeks, but after a while, successfully kept herself occupied - Until she stole a glance, and a heartbeat later, watched as he did the same. The glance intensified into an unsettling stare, and Aelita slammed her fist onto the table and stormed off the platform, leaving behind another perplexed training assistant.

He stood his ground as she approached, confronting the blonde and grabbing the front collar of his training shirt, which caught him slightly off guard.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" She growled.

Before he could speak, a pair of peacekeepers clutched Aelita's arms and jerked her away.

"Cool it." One spoke.

She was released, and after an exhaled breath, took a step forward and looked at the blonde boy, expecting an answer.

.

He took a cautious step closer, and sighed.

"Honestly... I'm just kinda admiring you. But I was actually hoping to form an alliance with you."

A subtle laugh escaped her mouth, and she crossed her arms.

"You like me, and want to be my ally... You're not even from my district."

"No, but we'd both stand a better chance of surviving if we teamed up."

"...Right, until we're the last two or something. What happens then?"

His eyes lowered.

"Hopefully it doesn't end up like that..."

She huffed.

"Look. If you're trying to somehow save me from all this... There's not much for me to go home to."

He shut his eyes, disappointed.

"Never mind... I guess I just wanted to help the most beautiful girl I've ever seen get out safe instead of being ruthlessly killed."

He walked past, and Aelita furrowed her eyebrows, before turning around.

"...You'd just get yourself killed trying to do that!"

He paused.

"I know."


	7. Chapter 7

Aelita lay in bed, wide awake.

The combination of her selfishness, and Odd's selflessness, swirled angrily in her mind.

She had no family to go home to, but the reaction of all the people at the reaping showed that District 3 would've sent anybody but her if she had just changed her mind... And then there was Odd. The blonde boy from 8, coming out of nowhere, admiring her, and wanting to be her ally so he can sacrifice himself for her survival.

A lot of people suddenly seemed to care for her, but she hated it. Why would so many people want to waste their lives trying to preserve hers? She's just some hopeless teenage girl running around with no parents. Just like a stray dog.

A lock of her hair drifted down in front of her eyes, and she brushed it aside with her finger.

_That's why._

The only daughter of the late Schaeffer family once known so well in District 3. Young and beautiful, but only a few days from being lost forever to the world...

She sighed, her heart aching, and eyes drooping, but sleep refused to come.

Rolling over and twisting in the sheets, she spotted the curved remote sitting on the nightstand, and daintily drug it off, setting it onto the side of her stomach.

With a momentary tap and swirl of her finger, the television on the window activated and cycled through several channels, before settling on a scene of rolling, undulating hills and an endless carpet of light green grass, swaying and rippling like waves of a lake from the gentle breeze blowing across the land.

_Serene, and nothing like the heart of District 3._

She set the remote aside, stretched her legs, and watched the screen, listening to the low howl of wind and distant chirps of birds. A melody of nature in her ears that she rarely experienced back home.

_Back home..._

_Not likely._


	8. Chapter 8

Day two.

* * *

Aelita brushed a tuft of hair aside from her face, and jumped up, clutching two of the rings suspended in the air. She moved her legs back and forth, and after a few swings to gain momentum, she reached forward, grasped the next ring, and quickly began a pattern, grabbing one ring after the other at an alarmingly swift pace.

Suddenly, her fingers miscalculated and fell low of one, and she found herself swinging backwards holding nothing, held up by one hand. She grimaced and her hand shot up, clutching the same ring she was on, and in desperation, she swung her foot out and caught it in the last one just beyond.

With a grunt, she lifted her other leg, carefully brought the middle ring closer with her knee, and in a sudden exhale, grabbed it, released her foot and swung back, moving forward a second later and barely getting hold of the last ring before letting go again, and landing onto the elevated platform on the other side.

Wasting no time, she quickly descended the stairs, heading for a different station that wouldn't push her luck like the acrobatic nightmare she just experienced.

.

She saw Odd sitting in the distance at the camouflage station, and paused.

He was concentrating greatly with a paintbrush... _On his face._

With a momentary look around, she rolled her eyes in self-defeat, and walked towards him as casually as she could.

* * *

Odd, seeing wavy, shiny, seemingly pink hair, and then the girl herself in the mirror walking up behind him, produced a faint smile, and resumed applying small dabs of paint to his face. She quietly stepped up beside him, and then blinked, seeing a normally pale face covered in yellows and greens of a grassy field.

"...What's your secret." She whispered, a small smile forcing itself through when he held up a card with a photograph of the same sort of grass next to his face.

"Back home I dyed clothing... Plenty of paint and colors to work with, and when there's free time, I paint pictures of nature... Things I can only imagine or see on television."

She sat down next to him, and breathed a sigh.

"I... Was thinking about yesterday."

Odd slowly resumed painting, but she could tell he was still listening.

"...And how selfish I've been acting since the reaping, and how I should be pretty glad that someone wants to be my ally."

She paused, and took a quick look at the rest of the tributes throughout the training facility.

"Now that I'm seeing what the careers and some of these other crazy people can do, I'm pretty sure I won't last an hour on my own, by myself."

He peeked at her, a smile slowly appearing amongst the grass.

"I still don't get why you're so willing to sacrifice yourself for my survival, But if you want to be my ally..."

She held out her hand, and he looked down at it, before looking back up at her.

"...I accept it, and want to be yours."

After a pause, he turned in the seat and faced her, scrutinizing her offer.

"Are you sure...?"

"Positive."

His smile blossomed into a grin, and he firmly shook her hand.

"Glad to hear it."

A blush briefly touched her cheeks, and he pushed a paintbrush and several jars of paint over in front of her.

"Know how to paint?"

"Sort of."

He touched his hand to his chin, smudging some of the grass.

"Camouflage is not that much different... Not that hard either. It's all just blending in with the environment."

She looked up at the messy locks of light red hair resting on her forehead, and then at the blonde.

"So... How in the world am I supposed to blend in with all this?"

"Leaves, Sticks... Mud even works."

Her eyebrow rose, and he countered it.

"You're not trying to stay pretty. You want to stay alive, and the best way to do that, besides killing, is to blend in with the arena."

She picked up the paintbrush, and looked at her arm with curiosity.

"...Unless, you'd rather stand out as a vicious monster to be feared."

She blushed in a quiet laugh, and dabbed the brush into a jar.

"I'll leave that to the careers..."

Odd watched with approval as she began to apply strokes of tan and yellow paint onto her forearm.

"I dunno... That whole thing yesterday with the heated axe was kinda scary. What's your secret?"

She eyed the blonde as he started to apply small lines of light green paint to her arm as well.

"I liked to cut firewood with my dad when I lived on the estate... The hatchet though, that's just the old trick of heating metal with an electric short."

"...Did cutting firewood require throwing a hatchet like that?"

"No... But it was fun to practice and mess around. There was this one solid, dead tree on the property that I liked to use as a target."

Odd reached back, getting another small dab of green.

"...You live on an estate?"

"Used to."

"What happened?"

She turned her head to the side for a moment.

"My parents died."

His eyes slowly rose from her arm, to her face.

"Oh."

"When I said I had nothing to go back home to... I meant it."

He breathed a heavy sigh, and she held her head up with her other arm as he kept painting.

"What about you?"

He drug his finger momentarily, spreading a small smudge into a line.

"I was afraid you'd ask."

"...Why?"

He twirled the brush around in his fingers.

"After the reaping, I left behind my mom, dad, and all four of my sisters."

A lump formed in Aelita's throat, and her mouth opened in disbelief.

"...And you'd rather have me live? You at least have a family!"

He swallowed.

"Yes, but, what happens when we both end up dead, and nobody goes home?"

Her eyes sank.

"Aelita, if we can help each other survive to the end, there's a chance one of us might just win this time... Districts 1 and 2 are almost always crowned, and everybody else is just left to cry and mourn the ones they lost."

"But then your family, and everybody in 8 will mourn your death..."

"Happens every year, doesn't it? Just different people each time."

"Yeah."

Odd set the paintbrush aside, and both sat in the following silence, inspecting the field of yellow grass that magically appeared on her arm.

She looked up at him when he nodded.

"Teamwork."


	9. Chapter 9

"Punch me."

"You sure?"

A cheeky smile spread across his lips.

"Positive."

Aelita rolled her eyes, but wound up, and swung a fist at him.

- Which was blocked with ease, by his arm.

"The second most important thing, besides knowing how to throw a punch, is how to block one."

She swung at him again, and just as easily, he deflected it.

"You see how my arms are? Raised up, fists closed, ready to deflect a blow... You try."

She held her arms in position, and he nodded.

"Don't just hold them still though. Be fluid, ready to move anywhere."

She relaxed slightly, and watched as he pointed at her.

"I'm going to throw a slow punch. Try to block it."

He pushed his fist through the air, and she deflected it easily.

"Good. Try again."

A faster punch in a different direction, but she still pushed it away.

"Better... I see one problem though."

She blinked.

"Not fast enough?"

"Nooo... I'll show you. One more time."

Arms ready, Odd swung a faster fist to the right - She moved, blocked it, but he suddenly stepped forward and swung his foot up, stopping it in front of her stomach.

"That's the problem. If we were fighting, that kick would have knocked you flat on your back... Block with one arm, but don't leave the other hanging. Protect yourself with it."

"How would I stop a kick with my arm?"

"It's possible... And if you see it coming you can move fast enough to avoid it, or just deflect it."

With a cautious smile, she pushed his foot away, and he hopped back, just in time for another screech of the referee whistle to pierce the air, signaling the end of the training session.

"Hey... Tomorrow, lets get some more practice in after lunch."

She nodded, and they both split up, finding their way to the exit and carefully avoiding the cluster of career tributes that were beginning to keep a keen eye on them.


	10. Chapter 10

"I see you're taking a liking to the boy from 8."

Aelita's chewing slowed to a stop, and the boy sitting next to her paused, before looking at her.

"Yes... He's my ally now."

A few confirming grunts and chuckles from the others at the table went around, and she set her fork down.

"...I'm sorry, I didn't realize that forming an alliance with another tribute was frowned upon."

"What's frowned upon, is ignoring your own teammate during training."

Her mentor, a woman in her fifties with greying hair, kept a firm eye on Aelita as she sat, staring down at the half eaten meal on her plate.

She then stood up, pushing the chair back with her legs, and wiped her mouth with a tablecloth, before plucking the tall glass of blue liquid off the table.

"We're both dead no matter what... Nobody here seems to frown upon that."

She walked away, and within moments, slipped inside her bedroom down the hall and shut the door.

* * *

Aelita set the glass aside after taking another gulp, and flounced onto the bed, preening her velvety dark green shirt before rolling over onto her back.

Growing bored from the silence, she sat up, grabbed the remote, and tapped the black surface twice before dropping it into her lap. The window to the outside was replaced by the screen as it lit up, and a scene of a fountain somewhere in the Capitol appeared.

With another swirl of her index finger, the screen changed to a live interview of the head gamemaker, by none other than Caesar Flickerman.

She crossed her legs after curling her fingers around the tall glass, and took another sip of the strange, sweet blue liquid as she tuned into the show.

"We're two days into training... Is there anything in particular you've noticed about some of this year's tributes?"

"Several things, actually. A few from the outer districts appear to have tricks up their sleeves... Career tributes are a force to be reckoned with, like usual."

His head then turned from the audience, to Caesar.

"...There also appears to be an alliance forming with 3 and 8."

A momentary rise in the audience was then quieted as Caesar held up his hand.

"Between 3 and 8?"

"The blonde boy and the girl with red hair."

He eyed the gamemaker curiously, leaning back in his chair.

"Just those two?"

"Just them. The only time they are with their fellow district tributes is entering and exiting the facility."

Caesar nodded.

"Three and eight... I don't think there's ever been a time during the games that those two have teamed together. Makes you wonder what the tributes alongside them think about it."

"...Makes you wonder what the boy and girl see in each other to make a bold move like that."

.

The pallor in Aelita's face grew pale.

She hadn't given a single thought to her and Odd's fellow tributes, and with the clamor over her overshadowing the boy at the reaping, there was no reason for him to not be jealous.

By ignoring him, there was no reason for him to show any mercy either.

Hearing footsteps, her back shivered, and she watched the door open, relaxing when she realized it was one of the Avox servants instead. She motioned for him to come closer, and then presented the glass, lifting her hand up alongside it to indicate she wanted it refilled.

A nod later, the Avox vanished, and the door shut.

"...He's not even that big though."

"And yet he still threw a man completely over himself."

"Short but strong... I think I can see why Miss Schaeffer decided to join him after all."

The door opened again, and the Avox stepped in, presenting both the glass, and an entire pitcher full of the blue drink.

With a smile, she move both to the nightstand, and then gently grasped the servant's hand as a silent thank you, before releasing it.

With a prompt departure, and the door's silent closing, Aelita turned back to the television, her smile quickly changing into a calculating glare as she continued listening.

"What I think is interesting, is the rivalry among the tributes from 5."

"I heard it's part of a long-lasting family feud."

"You wouldn't think such an ordeal would even exist in a place like 5, but from the looks of things, those tributes aren't very happy to end up together."

Aelita rolled her eyes, and refilled her glass with the pitcher.

_At least Odd and I aren't the only tributes being hyped over..._


	11. Chapter 11

Odd shut the television off, and within moments, the lights dimmed, and turned off as well. He rolled over and crawled underneath the sheets, and settled comfortably, watching as lights from the streets outside faintly lit the ceiling.

He and Aelita were getting more attention than he liked, but he wasn't about to be deterred by a little bit of limelight. She was already proving to be promising, and he fully intended to keep practicing self defense with her - Hoping by the time the training days were over, she would be fully capable of fighting back when the time came...

* * *

An overcast sky held a blanket of silence over the land.

With the unfolding of a small slip of paper, a collective breath was held across the entirety of District 8.

"Odd... Della Robbia."

The color in the blonde's face vanished as hundreds of faces turned to look at him, and his heart plummeted into his stomach.

_Of all the people to be chosen..._

A small path parted between the crowd as his feet reluctantly moved forward, and as soon as he stepped into the open, several unfortunately familiar screams filled the air, all from his younger sisters, shouting his name in horror.

Footsteps echoed, first from the cobblestones lining the square, and then from the stairs and the stone balcony of the Justice Building.

He stepped up beside a blonde girl he didn't recognize, and was lost in a daze of confusing, twisted despair as he looked out at over a thousand people filling the square.

Witnesses, of District 8's reaping for the 57th Annual Hunger Games.

* * *

Odd jerked awake, blinking in the darkness as he regained his bearings.

_Just a dream... Or perhaps a nightmare._

But at the same time, it was neither. It was a real memory, and it happened only a few days ago.

He moved around in the bed and found a new position, falling asleep a few minutes later, hoping that he wouldn't end up reliving the reaping again...


	12. Chapter 12

Aelita craned her head, but the blonde was nowhere in sight within the center. A group walked past, and then, a brunette girl slowed down as she passed Aelita.

"...Waiting for your little playmate?"

She combated the tribute's remark with a scowl, which was met with an eerily content smile before she turned and walked away.

Seconds later, the boy in question appeared next to her, but before he could speak, she grabbed his arm and led him away, out of from earshot of the others.

"Aelita..."

She turned around and faced him.

"I was watching TV last night..."

"...The interview?"

"Yes."

"What about it?"

"I think we're getting too popular."

His eyebrow rose.

"So?"

Aelita huffed.

"We're being watched... By everybody. Gamemakers, tributes..."

"That's not a bad thing."

"Ohhh it certainly is, Odd. People have their eyes on us, plotting how they're going to kill us both."

"...Just because we're allies?"

"Yes. Why not. We're from completely different Districts."

Odd breathed an impatient sigh.

"This isn't the first time two districts have allied. Careers do it all the time, every year."

"That's different..." She whispered.

"In any case, Aelita, there's nothing wrong with being popular. How else do you get sponsors?"

She turned, and slowly started walking forward.

"...You get people to like you. I know."


	13. Chapter 13

"Tatius, and Aquila. They're from 2."

Aelita nodded.

"Shimmer and Glint are from 1."

For a brief moment, both her and Odd traded humored expressions.

"With you is Lucent, and with me, is Sandra."

"The rest... We'll find out later I guess."

She then peered down when Odd dabbed a paintbrush with green paint, and brushed her upper arm with his index finger for a moment.

"I think there's something missing here."

Her eyebrow rose.

"What?"

A careful smile grew on his lips as he painted a curving green line along her elbow.

"A flower."

Within moments, a small leaf and layers on the stalk appeared, and he then swirled together white and red paint, and began to delicately paint curving pink petals.

Afterwards, a pistil and filaments appeared, and the petals were then accented with streaks of white.

A few touches and minor dabs of paint later, Odd set the brush aside, and set his chin onto the palm of his hand, instantly grinning when Aelita moved her arm, and a blush slightly lighter than the flower appeared on her cheeks as she looked it over.

"Ohh... That's wonderful."

Her eyes flitted up to him.

"...Thank you."

"One pink flower, standing out above the rest." He whispered.

"Shhhhh..."

She turned her head, the blush deepening.

.

A few seconds passed, as did the moment, and Odd sat up.

"We should throw an axe or two."

"...Hatchets." She corrected, before standing up alongside him, regaining her normal composure.

Odd then furrowed his eyebrows as they walked together towards the target range.

"Are you sure you're not secretly from 7? You sure seem like the lumberjack sort..."

A laugh met his statement, and both of them traded a momentary smile before grabbing two pairs of hatchets off a nearby rack.


	14. Chapter 14

Day three.

* * *

Odd, engaged in a slow-speed fistfight, was all smiles. With daily practice, Aelita was swiftly learning how to fight back, and simple afternoon training had turned into regular fight sessions that lasted for hours. A good thing too - Training ended in four days.

Aelita blew out a breath as arms and fists clashed, and their feet moved periodically.

"So... Besides... This, and painting on each other... And throwing hatchets... What have you done?"

A sudden dodge later, met by a grimace from Aelita for missing, Odd held his tongue between his lips.

"That silly jumping thing... Gauntlet or whatever... Messed with swords, slingshots and spears... Can't... Shoot a bow worth anything."

Aelita deftly cancelled two speedy punches, pushing a determined breath through her nose.

"Rings... Snares... That plant identification crap the other day... Did throw a few knives, but those are... So... Wonky, compared to an axe."

"Hatchet."

"Whatever."

She shook her head, and the blonde chuckled, only to catch a deceptive fist in his shoulder.

"Sneaky..." He drawled, releasing a breath before noticing eyes were on him, behind Aelita.

She blew a tuft of hair aside from her eyes.

"Spectators?"

"Careers... And our pals from 3 and 8."

_Uh oh._

Odd narrowed his eyes, and took a step back.

"Let's step it up a notch."

She took in and released a great breath, and then stood in position.

_Time to make an impression._


	15. Chapter 15

Cyprianos, the head gamemaker, watched with interest through a small zoomed screen as the two young teens in the far end of the center suddenly stepped up their game, fighting hand-to-hand much faster than the prior days where their activity barely attracted his attention.

Normally, fighting between tributes in the center was never allowed, but in their case, he found the cooperative training interesting. There was also no need to intervene, when their actions would result in their own consequences in the arena anyway.

He set the screen aside and took a sip from a tall, angular glass filled with sparkling green alcohol, and was then handed an open sketchbook with several drawings on it.

The top was labeled '**ARENA 57**', and below were several sketched scenes, showing different perspectives of areas of the arena, including the design for a new silver, angular cornucopia.

"...That's new." He spoke, tapping the picture.

"We decided it was time to consider a new approach with the Cornucopia... Something modern, different from the old style we've been using all these years."

"But this barely looks like a horn."

"Exactly. It's unique, but everyone will still know its purpose."

After a momentary eyebrow rise, he handed the sketchbook back, and took another sip of the drink.

"Just like the arena."

* * *

_A/N; This chapter is dreadfully short and doesn't fit anywhere else. ;_; All I can say though, is that the story is still building up steam - Don't lose hope!_

_~ Nick_


	16. Chapter 16

_Checkmate._

In a sudden show of force, Aelita deflected one last block and charged into the blonde, throwing herself against him and knocking both of them over flat onto the floor, ending the fight.

Her dogged energy transformed back into the quiet, reserved being she was, and a mischievous smile was produced after Odd assessed the situation, concluded that Aelita was now on top of him, and offered a tired, approving grin.

Then, both of them burst into laughter.

Aelita pushed herself off him and helped him to his feet, and then both of them stood, weary, yet filled with mirth despite their attempt to beat each other into submission. The scene seemed unreal, given the circumstances.

Odd then flexed his arms in and out, and a defeated exhale left his mouth.

"...Let's do something a little calmer now."

* * *

Aelita displayed a trio of rope knots holding a pair of sticks together, and Odd looked down at the elaborate, incomplete knot he was working on, before inspecting her creation.

"That's very knotty of you."

She stuck her tongue out and cheekily pulled his apart, seconds before a whistle pierced the air, and the training day ended.

He looked at the aftermath jumble of string, and sighed.

"I guess the odds were... _Knot_ in its favor anyway."

She giggled, and a slight blush surfaced as she pulled him to his feet. Then, two playful shoves later, they walked together towards the exit of the center, another day over.


	17. Chapter 17

Odd, busily consuming dinner, kept his eyes to the plate in front of him. Each evening became progressively tenser as the days counted down, but after a while, the young blonde could tell his actions in the training center weren't gaining much approval.

"Just heard down the wire that they're planning a few changes with training in next year's games."

"...Like what?"

"A couple small details... And a new mandatory rule. Only tributes from the same district can work together in training, and with that, they can only work exclusively with assistants. Not with each other."

Odd barely disguised a swallow with a bite of food, knowing that all eyes at the table were looking at him.

"So, congratulations. You've already made an influence on the future of the games."

His eyes rose, coming in contact with those of his mentor, and both of them stared at the other for a brief moment.

Stuck in an awkward conversational corner, his appetite simply vanished. He cleaned his face with a cloth and tossed it down onto a platter of bread, and then pushed the chair roughly into the table.

"Assuming I end up surviving... What makes you, or anybody else, think I will care about how I influence the future of the Games?"

He turned and began to walk away, but then paused after a few steps.

"...The only influence that will be made, is the deepening hatred of this place by my home district."


	18. Chapter 18

Aelita was fuming.

_Careless, irresponsible, inattentive, even untrustworthy._

Words slung at her that slashed her pride.

She was brought to the Capitol to fight to the death, and it angered her that she was expected to obediently follow every last petty instruction. If a few days stood between living and a horrible death, there was no way she was about to let some scumbag pry her from her and Odd's alliance, especially since he already vowed to keep her alive at all costs.

She sat in front of the window, which was cool to the touch when her fingertips, and then her face, pressed against the thick glass. Outside, the same view of the Capitol from the third floor of the training center greeted her eyes, only to be blocked out when her eyelids slid shut.

_The remaining few days had infinite possibilities for getting worse._

* * *

A distant tinkle of something fragile breaking on the floor forced her eyes open in the dark.

A commotion arose, and then a scream from one of the stylists filled the apartment, followed by several hurried footsteps, and then a jumble of shouts, obscenities, and words of disbelief as the light from the dining room was turned on.

Aelita sat silently, feeling perfectly obligated to stay put. After being cut down during dinner, she wasn't about to be accused of whatever just took place down the hall.

Her eyes wandered in an arc from the door back to the window, and she stared at the streets below, trying to picture what she heard seconds before as more footsteps and voices echoed down the hallway behind.


	19. Chapter 19

Day four.

* * *

With a breath, Aelita stirred and awakened. Turning her head, and cautiously opening her eyes, she suddenly realized she wasn't alone.

Somebody was sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting patiently.

Blinking repeatedly, she found herself staring apprehensively at a brunette man. Another person she had never seen before, in a dark, grey-teal suit, who then realized she was awake.

"_Morning_."

Her expression didn't waver, causing him to remove a pair of glasses, and sigh.

"We've got a lot to talk about."

Her eyebrows furrowed.

"...Who are you?"

"Markell... But call me Mark."

Met with a blank expression, he continued.

"Your prior mentor just died last night... I'm replacing her from now on."

Aelita sat straight up.

"She's dead?"

"Yes."

Her mouth opened.

"People don't think I killed her... Do they?"

He met her worry with a laugh.

"Certainly not. She suffered a heart attack."

Aelita's eyes lowered momentarily.

"...I don't think she liked me very much."

"Why's that?"

"I'm not really following the rules during training... And during supper last night, she yelled her head off at me for being around the boy from 8."

A subtle smile graced the light goatee on his face.

"About that... Tell me about this alliance of yours."

She huffed.

"_Well_... He approached me a few days ago, right when training started. He said that he wanted to be my ally, and said that he'd sacrifice himself to make sure I survive. The next day, I agreed, and from then on we've been training together."

Touching his hand to his chin, Mark gestured for her to continue.

"...Turns out he knows how to fight, and can paint camouflage... He's been teaching me both every day, and now I'm awfully glad he's on my side now... We're quite fond of each other, but everybody else seems to hate that I'm with him."

He reached over and set his hand on her shoulder.

"I don't... I think its brave of both of you. This kind of thing never really happens anymore, especially between districts like 3 and 8."

A smile blossomed on her face.

"You've definitely picked the right person to work with... But don't let your guard down, no matter how much you trust him."

She cautiously nodded, and he shook her shoulder for a moment.

"Anyway... I apologize for the short notice this morning, but I'm here to help you now."

His subtle nod piqued her curiosity, and she watched as he stood to his feet.

"One more thing... There's talk of rule changes going around with some of the things you two are doing. Be careful."

He walked out of the doorway, and glanced at her with quiet approval before disappearing around the corner.

.

Aelita, wide eyed, looked out of the window at the low sunshine sifting through shadows, and then burst out of bed.

_The coming days had infinite possibilities of getting better, too._


	20. Chapter 20

As the boy from 3 walked into the training center, Aelita's arm was held, and she halted and turned around, facing Markell.

"Training ends in three days, as I'm sure you're aware... You know how to defend and hide yourself, so from now on, make yourself lethal."

Aelita blinked, but nodded.

"Try everything. Swords, spears, knives... Make sure your friend does too."

"I've never really used any of those..." She drawled.

"Practice makes perfect, right?"

"I suppose." She sighed, turning back around.

"Just imagine how people would react when the lovely young woman from 3 suddenly turns into a cunning, deadly nightmare in the arena."

A quiet little smirk appeared on her face, and she walked forward into the open air of the center. _Nothing like a change of pace to throw off the competition anyway._

* * *

For having never used a sword before, Aelita quickly began to enjoy the feeling of swinging a long blade around and slashing chunks out of fake enemies.

Fighting an assistant with batons, while less exciting, helped her learn how to defend herself and counter the moves of an opponent.

After a period of swordplay, she stepped off of the station, and suddenly found herself walking right past Odd.

"Hey you."

She paused, but he stepped up beside her, and nodded towards a less crowded spot.

* * *

After walking over quietly, they paused, and faced each other.

"First off, nice job with the swords."

Aelita smiled, and he crossed his arms.

"Anyway... A lot is about to change, I'm afraid."

"A lot already has. My mentor died last night and has been replaced. The new guy seems to like both of us too."

He eyed her, dumbfounded.

"...What."

"The way he said something this morning... I dunno. I told him about you, and he likes that we've teamed up, and said this sort of thing never happens anymore."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"I wish my mentor could be replaced by someone like that... I got stared down yesterday at dinner after being told my behavior has started a massive rule change for next year's games."

A pensive expression appeared on her face.

"He mentioned something about that."

"Basically, everything we've been doing together won't be allowed next year. Tributes from the same district can team up, but they can't even practice with each other, much less with people from other districts."

Both of them rolled their eyes.

"I told you people are onto us, Odd. We've got my mentor on our side now, but that's about it."

After an apprehensive look at the gamemaker's balcony, the blonde shook his head and began walking towards the one of the stations, followed silently by Aelita a few seconds later.

"Maybe by this week's end, we'll have some sponsors on our side too."


	21. Chapter 21

Knife, after knife, after knife.

Not quite used to the smaller size compared to a hatchet, Aelita often found herself throwing knives harder and faster than necessary. While they mostly found their marks in non-lethal spots, they had a tendency to be lodged pretty deeply into the targets, creating an ominous combination when the occasional good throw plunged a knife halfway into a target's head.

Boredom however, hit its peak after she chucked the last one through the air, and it ended up buried in a shoulder. She walked away, pausing briefly to watch as a tribute nearby threw a spear through the air with alarming precision.

_Tomorrow, maybe_. She had already thrown enough sharp objects in the last hour as it was.

* * *

_Animals._

_Some were edible. Maybe even tasty cooked on a fire._

_Others, if they didn't maul or poison you first, weren't really worth hunting anyway._

_Humans... Not even on the menu._

Aelita's lips pressed together at the thought.

_Disgusting, and way too brutal, unless you went completely insane._

She set an information card aside, and picked up another about edible plants.

_On a lighter note, if you end up with a bowl during the games and aren't currently in a wasteland, a salad was apparently possible. Just don't use mushrooms, nightlock, or blood as fixings for it._

Unsure how to react to her own humor, she dropped the card onto the table, and quietly walked away, watching with mild curiosity as she passed a few of the tributes watching her.

Even if she wasn't a career tribute, something about her demeanor was becoming unsettling. Why _is_ a girl from District 3 so seemingly confident with each passing day?


	22. Chapter 22

"What's that smile all about?"

Her attention turned to the blonde as he paused from walking past.

"Thinking about horrible, funny things."

His mouth opened, only to shut.

"You know what... I won't even ask."

"I doubt you'd find any of it funny anyway."

His eyebrows furrowed, causing her smile to increase.

"That's not true! I'm just not in the mood for horrible jokes right now."

She rolled her eyes, and he couldn't keep a grin from showing.

"...Then you continue on your merry way there, Odd."

"I suppose I just will... Aelita."

Tongues were stuck out at each other, and both of them walked away in opposite directions.

In a snap, their moods were lifted from the random encounter as day eight of training drew to a slow close. Even amongst the looming peril, humor could still be found in the strangest of ways.

* * *

Markell watched both of his tributes carefully during dinner.

"You two know what's going on in the next couple of days, I assume."

Met with a confused look from the boy, and Aelita's look of uninformed curiosity, the answer was a definite negative.

"Right... At the end of this week, the gamemakers bring in tributes one by one in a private assessment. You show them something you excel at, and depending on how well you do, you get scored from one to twelve... Twelve being the highest possible."

Aelita propped her head upon her arm.

"Has anybody ever gotten a twelve?"

"Not that I know of... You'd have to be pretty impressive to even get an eleven."

Her eyes wandered across the table.

"What happens after the assessment?"

"They spend a few hours haggling over the scores for all twenty four tributes, and then they're all announced on television."

"What do we do in the meantime?"

"Keep training until the last day... Then you're all in for an interview with Caesar."

He set his fork down, and leaned forward.

"There's one thing I can't stress enough with the gamemakers and the interview though. You have to make both count."

Both tributes were stone silent as he paused.

"If you can impress the big wigs in charge, and then the whole nation of Panem, you'll be way ahead of a lot of your competition."

"...As long as you get people to like you." Aelita whispered.

Markell smiled, giving Aelita another very subtle nod.

"That shouldn't be too hard for _either_ of you."


	23. Chapter 23

Day five.

* * *

Odd greeted Aelita's appearance at the camouflage station with his usual smile.

"_Mornnning_."

"...Happy Hunger Games."

She eyed him briefly, before cheekily stealing the paintbrush right out of his hand.

"May the odds, be ever in _Odd's_ favor."

He looked at her as she began to apply light blue paint onto his forearm.

"I think the odds ought to be in your favor this time around... Why are you painting the sky on me?"

"Because, Odd, I've never painted it before... And the open sky is something I've started to miss."

He looked down at the blue rectangle on his arm thoughtfully, and then picked up another paintbrush.

"Needs a cloud or two..."

* * *

Several minutes later, a small mural of an open prairie appeared on his arm, and both of them quietly inspected it.

A sad sigh escaped from Aelita, and Odd set his chin onto his free arm.

"Have you ever been to a place like this?"

"Yes... Several years ago."

"Me too... But you can't exactly pass through the border of 8 anymore."

"You can't do much of anything anymore." She spoke quietly.

Both teens sat, suffering from resurfacing memories.

Odd's eyes then flicked over to her face.

"You know Aelita, if we weren't here, caught up in all this, and if I somehow knew you before any of this ever happened... I'd find a place where we could wander around forever in a field of grass and never get caught."

A blush slowly increased in color across her cheekbones.

_How would we not get caught? We don't even live in the same districts... Don't anymore, at least. Somebody would find us and we'd be executed for leaving a district. Might as well tell him that..._

"_That_... Would be wonderful."

She blinked at her own spoken words, and the blush instantly increased.

Odd genuinely grinned in response, only to settle back into a plain smile as she cautiously eyed him.

And then, _not_ so cautiously.

A curious little trade of glances segued into a eye opening stare, lasting longer than it should have.

The lock shattered, their eyes darted away, and Aelita's mind fell into turmoil - Because she suddenly realized, her heart might have just fallen too.


	24. Chapter 24

Three awful throws, and three misses later, Aelita walked away from the target range in disgust. She wandered, finding a place to sit where she was out of view of the blonde, and then stared at the floor below.

Her mind was frustrated beyond belief, but beneath the anger and shame at herself, a mix of surprise, hope, and bashful joy was welling up inside. Feelings clashed fiercely. None of this was supposed to be happening. Not here, not now, not a few days before a horrible death befell them both.

_I should have seen this coming. This sort of thing that never needed to happen in the Games. The sort of thing never works, because one person dies, and the other goes home, left to live with a tragedy for the rest of their life. Never, never, never, and yet, its happening. In the worst place, at the worst time._

She suddenly realized that again, she wasn't alone. Odd was sitting a little ways away, keeping his own eyes to the floor.

She watched him, waiting until he peeped at her, before looking away.

"...Aelita."

A knot squeezed tighter inside her, and her head sank, causing him to scoot over next to her.

"I don't know how angry you are at me... But if I've just ruined your whole day, I'm sorry."

A very quiet pause later, he sighed, finding no further words to say.

"...I'm not angry."

She looked up at him, and after a brief mental battle ensued, she recaptured his eyes with her own.

"...I'm scared."

She leaned over and found her way into an unexpectedly comforting hug amongst his arms. The closeness, and a blend of warmth and security radiating from him, set her heart on fire, leaving it throbbing with pain. Her shield had been broken, but the blonde boy responsible was now just as vulnerable.

After all, the two of them just discovered their most dangerous weakness.


	25. Chapter 25

One whole day, completely wasted.

Instead of making themselves lethal, both Odd and Aelita sat together quietly, nursing what was possibly their greatest undoing as the day drifted by.

Her eyes flicked open when the shrill screech of a whistle pierced the air.

Sitting upright from leaning on each other, they traded a worried look, and then stood to their feet. Aelita then clutched his forearm, right on the rectangle of paint.

"We can't do this again... Just sitting here."

He quickly nodded, but was then hugged again, and he squeezed her tightly in return. She then pressed her forehead into his neck, breathing a sorrowful sigh.

After separating, Odd touched her fingers with his own, letting them slip out of his grasp as he backed away.

"I'll see you tomorrow... Okay?"

The lump in her throat kept any words from escaping, so she nodded instead, watching him walk away.

Painfully.


	26. Chapter 26

Markell breathed a sigh, his eyebrows furrowed in thought as Aelita sat in the comfort of another hug.

"You do realize, no matter what happens, that this won't end well."

A momentary movement, was the only response.

"But on the same token, if you two really feel this way... Loyalty might just keep you alive."

He moved his arm, and lifted her head up by her chin.

"No matter what happens in the arena, don't betray that boy... He's sworn to keep you alive, and now that he knows you care about him too, he'll try a hell of a lot harder to keep that promise."

After another quick hug, Mark stood to his feet.

"I've got to go to a meeting now, but we'll talk about the assessment and all later tonight."

In a flash, he disappeared out of the room, and Aelita sat on her bed, deflated. Settling down on her side, she curled up her legs, and held them tight within her arms, staring out of the window at the same third story view, of the same setting sun.

A few hours before, she and the blonde stared at each other, and without a word spoken, it became clear they shared more than just an alliance. Despite every measure put in place, despite every bit of skepticism... Despite everything possible, the young, selfless blonde boy from District 8, wanting simply to keep her alive, had worked his way into her heart.

In the worst place, at the worst possible time.

.

Emotion she kept locked tight for so long, finally broke free, and tears silently drifted down her face as the evening faded into darkness.


	27. Chapter 27

Day six.

* * *

Odd lay in bed restless, the sheets in a twisted mess around his legs, the room lit softly by the moonlight. His mentor's unpleasant words ceased to affect him anymore. Instead, his mind churned, and his heart ached as he thought about Aelita.

Every action, every word she said, every little moment they shared... From painting to punching, throwing hatchets to throwing knives, their familiarity grew closer, and then, too close. What started as an effort to keep the beautiful redhead girl alive though his own sacrifice, turned into a slowly unfolding tragedy.

He swallowed. Certain death was only days away, and yet, part of him decided he should do the worst thing possible at the worst time. He began to fall for Aelita. Finding then, that she slowly was falling for him too.

A hard sigh escaped his lungs, and he moved his legs.

No matter who wins, the Games were destined to end sadly. There's only ever one winner, and he certainly wasn't going to be it.

* * *

_**END OF PART 1...**_


End file.
